On Boxing Day 1988, a 57-year-old woman returned home to her Bermondsey flat after spending Christmas with family. Inside, someone was waiting. Over the next 18 months, four elderly women across Southwark and Rotherhithe would be brutally attacked in their own homes by the same man — Michael John Roberts. The press called him the Praying Rapist and the Beast of Bermondsey, a violent predator who stalked South London’s most vulnerable residents for nearly two years before vanishing without trace. Decades later, a cold-case review and a breakthrough in low-copy-number DNA finally unmasked him.

And because we know you come here for both the horror and the human, Rach and Han chat about bowling disasters, tall-girl energy, new specs, and the difference between “pronto” and “quickly.” (Spoiler: it’s not what you think.)

Sources for the episode include:

https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/beast-of-bermondsey

https://squaremilenews.blogspot.com/2012/01/twenty-two-year-hunt-for-southwark.html

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/serial-rapist-michael-john-roberts-caged-cold-280829

https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/crime/serial-rapist-michael-roberts-given-four-life-sentences-6288646.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/rapist-should-not-have-been-sentenced-to-wholelife-term-8206033.html

https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/JCO/Documents/Judgments/r-v-david-oakes-and-others.pdf

https://www.thelawpages.com/court-cases/index.php?res=1

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16531390

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/nov/21/murderer-whole-life-sentence-judges

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/uk-news/man-raped-elderly-disabled-women-living-alone-court-told-1935833

https://www.newssniffer.co.uk/articles/478970/versions/834446

https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/uk-england-1989599

Support the show

Thanks for tuning in! If you loved diving into the dark corners of South London with us, don't forget to hit that subscribe button to never miss an episode of "Sinister South."

Also, follow us on Instagram @SinisterSouthPodcast for sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes content, and more cheeky banter, or www.sinistersouthpod.co.uk. Remember, every crime tells a story... and South is the best side of the river...

Produced and hosted by Hannah Williams & Rachel Baines
Mixed & edited by Purple Waves Sound (A.K.A Will)

In this week's episode, we cover the devastating case of three-year-old Daniel Evbuomwan, who was murdered in a house in Downham by his own uncle, Ben Igbinedion. It's a case that shocked the local community, not only because of Daniel's young age but because of the disturbing circumstances behind his death.

We talk through who Daniel was, what happened in the lead up to that terrible day, and how the investigation unfolded. Trigger warning right off the bat... this ones desperately upsetting!

Sources include:

https://news.sky.com/story/boy-3-murdered-after-he-wet-the-bed-10429008

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Investigation-Team-Steven-Keogh/dp/1789466423

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-25058488

https://metro.co.uk/2013/11/22/killed-for-wetting-the-bed-uncle-jailed-for-beating-nephew-3-so-badly-it-was-like-hed-been-trampled-by-horses-4198322

Support the show

Thanks for tuning in! If you loved diving into the dark corners of South London with us, don't forget to hit that subscribe button to never miss an episode of "Sinister South."

Also, follow us on Instagram @SinisterSouthPodcast for sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes content, and more cheeky banter, or www.sinistersouthpod.co.uk. Remember, every crime tells a story... and South is the best side of the river...

Produced and hosted by Hannah Williams & Rachel Baines
Mixed & edited by Purple Waves Sound (A.K.A Will)

In October 2009, two men were brutally murdered inside a flat in West Norwood, South London. Donald MacPherson, a Scottish chef and grandfather, and Luciano Schiano, a familiar face on Streatham High Street where he sold The Big Issue, were attacked with a level of violence detectives later said “beggared description.”

Before we get into the grim detail though, there’s the usual warm-up: Han having to tense herself up all over again after our trip to what can only be described as a home for the bewildered – complete with ratatouille and couscous. Then we dive into the case itself, side quests and all.

Sources for this episode include:

https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/4705627.daughters-of-west-norwood-double-murder-victim-make-appeal-to-find-killer

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-10644912

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10379097

https://stevekeogh.com/books

https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/south-london-double-murder-flat-looked-like-an-abattoir-6723775.html

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/murdered-chef-in-wrong-place-at-wrong-time-55ht0v3ss3q

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/family-tell-of-heartbreak-at-murder-of-chef-1064391

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/two-guilty-of-savage-murder-of-chef-and-flatmate-2026332.html

Support the show

Thanks for tuning in! If you loved diving into the dark corners of South London with us, don't forget to hit that subscribe button to never miss an episode of "Sinister South."

Also, follow us on Instagram @SinisterSouthPodcast for sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes content, and more cheeky banter, or www.sinistersouthpod.co.uk. Remember, every crime tells a story... and South is the best side of the river...

Produced and hosted by Hannah Williams & Rachel Baines
Mixed & edited by Purple Waves Sound (A.K.A Will)